Murder suspect says Vallejo boyfriend lied about 2007 slayings

With her parents looking on, an emotional Paige Linville of Vallejo on Wednesday denied her former boyfriend's contention that she killed a Dixon woman in 2007 for the thrill of it.

Prosecutors say the former Vallejo resident, 29, killed the woman, and with Mario Moreno -- a two-striker who cut a deal to testify against her -- was involved in killing a Vallejo homeless woman. Both were high on methamphetamine during the brutal killing spree which started in Vallejo and ended hours later in Dixon, Moreno testified last week.

Linville, testifying as the final defense witness in her murder trial, told a different story. She blamed Moreno for both killings, and claimed she didn't contact police afterward because she was too messed up on drugs and afraid to flee.

"I tried not to think about them at all," Linville said, holding back tears after being shown photographs of the two victims' bodies. "I tried to black out what happened."

To add further context to her story, Linville also told about being abducted and violently raped at age 9 while walking to school in September 1992. She had just enrolled as a fourth-grader at Federal Terrace Elementary School in a district program for gifted students. She said the assault -- which she bottled up for 10 years -- set her down a path of self-loathing and, eventually, heavy drug use and self-destructive behavior as an adolescent, including getting into abusive relationships.

Chappell was found shot to death in rural Cordelia in the early morning hours. Baxley, a Dixon Tribune employee, was gunned down walking her dog near her apartment during her lunch break.

Linville pleaded no contest to charges of being an accessory after the fact as well as possession of a small amount of methamphetamine.

Moreno, who has two prior felony convictions, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

In April 2010, Linville, who had already been released from prison and was enrolled in a drug treatment program, was re-arrested and charged with two counts of murder and one count of conspiracy.

Moreno, meanwhile, agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for testifying against Linville. Under the prosecution's deal, he's facing 20 to 32 years instead of a life sentence.

Moreno testified that he shot Chappell and that Linville shot Baxley. Linville, however, said Moreno shot both victims.

Linville said she and Moreno picked up Chappell at a Broadway Street shopping center after Chappell asked them for a ride. Before they picked her up, she said she thought Moreno had been joking around when he said "Ever feel like killing someone?"

Linville said they eventually drove back to Moreno's house in Vallejo where they both smoked more meth. Fearing for her safety, she said she tried to assure him she would never tell anyone that he had killed someone. Then she said Moreno told her the only way to save herself would be to commit a murder in front of him.

Linville said they stopped to clean up her car and went to a sporting goods store where Moreno bought more ammunition and some paper targets. From there, she said they drove to Moreno's uncle's property in Dixon to do some target practice.

At some point, hours later, Linville said they were driving around the back roads of Dixon, with Moreno pointing out potential victims. But she said she kept coming up with excuses to avoid going through with it.

When Moreno pointed out an African-American woman at a bus stop, Linville said she told him "I can't do this." After taking more hits of meth, she saw a woman walking her dog.

"He stopped the car in the middle of the street ... he got out of the car ... walked quickly toward the woman and he shot her," Linville said. From the passenger seat of the car, "I saw him raise his hand with the gun in it ... and saw her fall in the bushes."

"I was scared ... I had no idea he was planning on doing that," Linville said. She said Moreno then dropped her off at work in Vallejo, warning her to keep her mouth shut about the murders.

"He told me not to say a ... thing to anyone and he would be back to pick me up after work," she testified.

Linville's parents, who were joined by several of her friends and supporters, declined to comment after the hearing.

Linville's jury trial resumes Monday in Solano County Superior Court Judge Allan Carter's Vallejo courtroom. She is expected to resume her defense testimony at that time before cross-examination begins.